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Water
Water In Tyr, as on all Athas, water is life. Scholars claim that long ago in the city’s past great rivers of water flowed from the mountains through the city. Legend has it that it was a confluence of these great rivers that determined Tyr’s location. The scars in the land made by these rivers can still be seen throughout the city today. Although no surface water can be found within the region, Tyr is very fortunate to have a well guarded, abundant water supply. Tyr sits atop one of the deepest, oldest aquifers in the Tablelands, an area far underground where water has been trapped beneath the sand and stone. Sages speculate that it is the water that once ran across the face of Athas that has moved deep underground. Cynics fear that the waters will eventually move so far underground that wells will not reach them. The truth may only be known to the Dragon. For now, obtaining water is relatively easy. Seventeen public wells pierce the Athasian desert within the walled city. For additional protection against night raiders, no public well is located within 100 yards of the city’s walls. Each of these public wells is guarded and maintained day and night by the King’s templars. King Tithian and the Council have decreed that each individual in the city is entitled to one hand-carried container of water each day. Citizens and visitors may only draw the free water during the first few hours following sunrise. Otherwise, a ceramic bit is charged for each hand-carried container of water drawn. Anyone caught hoarding water (e.g., visiting more than one well in the morning or repeatedly visiting the same well in disguises, etc.) or digging a private well without permission from Girias, Minister of Water, faces stern punishment. The usual punishment consists of being staked out under the hot Athasian sun from dawn to dusk. If the perpetrator survives, his crime is forgiven and he is released. Malicious attempts to poison, pollute, or introduce foreign or harmful substances into the water supply are met with harsher measures. Saboteurs are branded as traitors against the King, the city, and its people. Previously, such felons would face death in the arena. Current laws dictate a public execution and the confiscation of all possessions and property as restitution to the city-state. Several private wells also exist within the city. Most of these are found within the King’s Gardens, but a few are located in the Nobles’ Quarter. These wells are almost always guarded by traps or terrible creatures, some few contain cistern fiends . These horrid creatures discourage anyone who might attempt to steal water from the private wells. The city wells are each guarded by a templar and one or two guards, often half-giants or former gladiators. They receive a small sum plus all the water they care to drink for their service. A slightly larger patrol travels in a randomized route between the wells. This patrol is designed to keep individuals from attempting to take control of a city well. More water can be made available to businesses or merchants as needed. These needs must be approved by Girias, Minister of Water. His job is to assure proper maintenance of the city’s wells, oversee sewage and disposal of city waste, and to approve sales of water to traveling merchant caravans sufficient for their personnel and mounts. Girias also insures that water is not hoarded and that substantial amounts of water are not obtained purely for export by any of the trading houses. Most public wells in the city of Tyr are surrounded by three-foot stone walls. These barriers are designed to keep sand and other debris from falling into the well. Well mouths vary from three to six feet across. Beside each well is a square, open trough for watering animals, usually four feet wide, three feet deep, and from six to 10 feet in length. A woven tarp or animal skin stretched on supporting poles protects the top of the well and the holding trough from the blazing sun. Attached to one of the sides of the well is a device for drawing water from the well. This apparatus often consists of a weighted ceramic vessel connected at the top by a rope of woven giant’s hair. The weighted vessel is lowered via the rope into the well. Once at water level, the vessel submerges and fills with the precious liquid. The heavy vessel can be raised hand over hand by very strong individuals. Pegs are sometimes mounted on the sides of the well to assist weaker individuals.